Today’s connected technologies are more than just smartphones, laptops and tablets.
NB: This is an analysis by Jerald Singh, head of mobile at Expedia.
It’s everything from GPS and restaurant guides to social media pages and high res cameras, even our alarm clocks and calendars – and they’re always with us.
In our increasingly mobile driven society, today’s travelers are no different, frequently relying on a multiple devices to help them research, plan, book, and manage their travel from start to finish.
It’s this dependency on constant connectivity that inspired the 2014 Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index.
We teamed up with Northstar to conduct a global study of nearly 9,000 people across 25 countries and 5 continents examining the behavior and preferences of travelers when it comes to their devices.
The resulting study provides an inside look at the deep dependence travelers in North and South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and the Middle East have on their mobile devices when on the road, be it for business or pleasure.
As you might expect, the Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index found that the majority of global travelers rely heavily on mobile devices on a daily basis, with respondents reporting they feel their smartphones (76%), laptops (70%) and tablets (48%) are “very important/critical” to their everyday lives.
This worldwide reliance likely explains why the number of people who take at least one device with them on personal vacations remains consistent with the amount of those who bring at least one mobile device with them on business trips – 94% and 97% respectively – and why more than a third (35%) report using their mobile devices more when traveling than at home.
Usage
Whether traveling for business or pleasure, respondents rely on mobile devices to keep in touch, with 61% citing email and messaging as their most commonly used apps.
Documenting their travels is also a top priority, as 50% of global travelers use the camera/video functions most frequently and 45% make the most use of social media apps.
Nearly half use their devices as a resource while away from home, with 47% most frequently using their devices to access map and navigation apps.
The study also shows this widespread, global dependence on mobile devices among travelers can also be a source of anxiety.
68% percent of respondents reported losing their passport as their biggest fear while away from home, followed by their money (51%).
Surprisingly, some respondents reported that they would be just as anxious about losing their mobile device as they would be their luggage (21%).
For Indian, Swedish and Malaysian travelers, being device-less is an even greater distress with 34%, 31% and 28% respectively citing the loss of a device as their top fear.
The biggest concern associated with losing a mobile device while traveling is the loss of personal information (58%), followed by the inability to contact home (41%), and the cost associated with having to replace their device (37%).
Losing battery charge when traveling is also a cause for concern, with 16% of global travelers reporting they carry a power cord on them at all times to avoid being without a charged device.
Re-thinking devices
At Expedia, we’re focused on mobile as a way to meet and exceed the needs of the modern traveler.
We know our customers are embracing these technologies in a big way, with upwards of 20% of Expedia.com bookings now being made via smartphone or tablet – a number that industry trends indicate will continue to climb in the future.
Our recently released Expedia app for tablets is a perfect example of our commitment to reaching today’s travelers wherever and however they choose to shop.
Whereas other tablet apps are often just reconfigured versions of a smartphone app, the new Expedia tablet app was designed specifically for the lean-back experience of browsing and searching on tablets, which lends to its beautifully immersive layout and effortless navigation.
For the first time ever, we’ve also enabled users to search for hotels and flights side-by-side, allowing for a more holistic and enjoyable user experience intended to mimic the way people naturally think about planning their trip.
The Expedia/Egencia Mobile Index confirms our beliefs that the modern traveler is more mobile than ever. As this global dependence on mobile devices increases, the travel industry must continue to evolve, adapt and change along with it to ensure customers have the right tools and functionality they need right at their fingertips.
Expedia’s goal is to stay in front of the changing technology landscape and to truly lead the way for the travel industry when it comes to mobile.
We’ll continue to make this a core focus so travelers around the globe feel empowered and confident throughout their journey by relying on Expedia as their constant mobile resource to help them research, plan, book and experience travel.
NB: This is an analysis by Jerald Singh, head of mobile at Expedia. It appears here as part of Tnooz’s sponsored content initiative.
NB2: Mobile beach image via Shutterstock.